Crossing Paths
by lIttlE.mi55.psYco
Summary: Trent has yet another job for Rachel. Will it bring them closer or push them even more apart than ever? Takes place after ODW. Trench fic please R & R
1. Chapter 1

**Takes place after ODW and there is probably a million spoilers for all Rachel Morgan books. I never really keep track, so forgive me! **

**I added and changed some parts to this story thanks to all the awesome people who have reviewed, so please R&R!  
**

**Disclaimer: None of the characters or the books that inspired this story belong to me**. **They all belong to the fantastic Kim Harrison**

I sat in my kitchen, staring down at a letter that was on the antique table. It was addressed to me, but seeing whose name was in the corner as the sender I didn't even want to touch it. Why would Trent Kalamack send me a letter, especially after he had just tried to kill me?

Ivy walked into the kitchen wearing her favorite black silk nightie, the robe barely covering it. I didn't say anything to her because she wasn't very pleasant upon waking up until she had some coffee. After a couple of minutes she turned to me with her vampiric charms coffee mug in her hands and, nodding towards the envelope and asked, "whose it from?"

"Trent," I answered trying to make my voice sound nonchalant as possible. The truth was that it had me more on edge than ever. Would Trent send Quen if I didn't show up? Would I be able to best him if he did.

"Are you gonna open it?"

"No, I don't know what the hell could be in that thing! He probably cursed it."

"Did you already touch it?"

"Yeah, it wasn't in with the mail, some guy brought it by." The pixies were staying inside since Jenks told us that they usually lost one or two kids during hibernation, and because Matalina had not been doing well at all here lately. That meant minimum noise when they were asleep or it would be like a Disney nightmare in here.

She shrugged at my response. "Well," she said, "it didn't explode when you touched it so that has to be good, right?"

"Yeah," I muttered, more to myself than to her.

Ivy walked out of the kitchen, leaving me to sit there and stare at that little official looking envelope. I really shouldn't have opened it, but Ivy was right. I had already touched it, and nothing happened. Plus, despite my better judgment, I _really_ wanted to know what was in there. I felt like I was in slow motion when I picked it up and opened it with my finger nail.

The letter said that I had an appointment at five o'clock with Trent today. _I am not going. I am not going. I Am Not Going!_ I thought to myself

**In the Car Later That Day...**

"I cannot believe I am going to this appointment," I said aloud to me, myself, and I. Bringing Jenks would have been a better idea than going alone but I didn't want to make him leave Matalina. Pixie lifespan sucks! Plus I hadn't even told him where I was going, knowing he would have probably called me a stupid witch and told me I was going to get myself killed. I had been dead set against going anyway, until about 4:00. Then I had got up and rushed to get ready when curiosity had won over um I don't know…_ sanity_. _What are you doing? He probably wants to try and kill you again!_

"Rachel Morgan," I said to the guy in the booth when I drove up.

"Please drive on to visitors parking," he answered in a bored voice. I suppose he was probably getting fed-up with the orders that I was either to be let on through, or stopped by whatever means necessary since they changed like every other week.

I drove on up the three mile road and parked in visitor parking. Checking to make sure I had my splat gun, I got out of my convertible and walked slowly up to the compound. I let out a laugh as I approached the doors. I don't know why I was laughing. Maybe it was because even I thought I was crazy for going to the home of a man that had once put me in the rat fights as a mink, hunted me on horseback like a wild animal, and not too long ago had tried to choke me to death! _Ha, why in the world would I be considered crazy?_

"Follow me _Morgan_," Jonathan said as soon as I stepped into his line of vision, putting all his hatred into saying my last name to make it sound repulsive.

"What's the matter Jon? Not in the mood for hellos today are we?" I said. The tall freak of nature just turned his nose up at me, and said back nothing as we kept walking. "Okaaaayy," I said, "I'll take that as a no." _Number two pencil, _I sung in my head.

Surprisingly we went to Trent's back office. It was a nice place, done in a more relaxed decor than the front lobby, with doors that led to his beautiful gardens. The fact that he usually didn't want me back here and that it was so far from the part of the compound where people came and went was unsettling. _All the better to cover up your screams, my dear, _my mind shouted at me. Jonathan left me in the office to wait for Trent. I slowly walked around the room, making my way behind Trent's desk. I sat down into his nice and oh-so-comfy office chair and put my feet up on the desk. _Hey just because I hate him does not mean I can't enjoy the luxury while I am here._

"Ms. Morgan," Trent said calmly as he entered. As he was walking in I noticed the dark circles under his green eyes. He looked stressed out, which was so unlike Trent, too. Even though worn out I still couldn't keep myself from noticing that his body was still as perfect ever as my eyes traveled over the it. But as my gaze moved slowly up I seen the ice cold stare he gave me upon seeing me in his chair. I hopped up and walked around the desk to the other chair across from his, flopping down just because I knew it would annoy him.

"Cut the crap Trent, what do you want?" I asked trying for a bored voice. It just came out like I'd had to much caffeine

"To the point as always Ms. Morgan." He walked over, and sat behind his desk.

"You know I thought after all the wonderful stuff we have been through together we would be past all this Ms. Morgan, Mr. Kalamack formality crap," I said in the most sarcastic voice I could manage. I sighed looking at him,"You made me come all the way out here so get to the point already."

"Patient too, I see. The reason I had you come out here Rachel, is because I need you to do a very important job for me."

"Don't you always," I murmured

"I would be willing to pay you a very generous sum of money for this job Rachel," Trent said, knowing my weakness and using it against me once again. I could never keep a hold of money, and Trent always came into the picture at about the same time I ran out of the stuff. The fact that he seemed to have a bottomless pit of it made me ticked off all the more.

"Can you at least tell me what this job is?" I was starting to get frustrated

"Sa'han, you have a very important call on line two. They said it was urgent," said Jonathan looking at me and Trent from the doorway.

**Sorry it is such a short chapter and probably not a very good one but I am running low on energy as well as coffee right about now. Please review!!! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own--wish I did but all characters and everything I got from the book is the wonderful Kim Harrisons!^_^**

**Hope you all like it! Please review because the good helps me write faster and the bad helps me improve my writing.**

Trent looked up at Jonathan with a frown. "Tell them to wait" he said through clenched teeth. Whether the anger was at me or the interruption I could not tell. It was a rare thing to see Trent lose his cool so I was surprised at the venom in his voice. _Must be one helluva job he has for me,_ I thought to myself. _That or he is really dreading this phone call._

"I am afraid it cannot wait," said Jonathan, giving him the look that told me Trent had not always been the one in charge between the two.

"Okay, I will take the call then."

"It is a private matter." Jonathan looked at Trent, and then gave me a stern look.

"Well it's obvious _I_ am no longer wanted here." I said starting to stand up. Trent walked around his desk.

"Rachel stay here, I will be back in a moment," He said walking out. I looked at the now shut door angrily. "Oh and please refrain from touching anything," he said poking his head back into the door.

"Do I look like one of your freaking blood hounds that you can tell to sit and stay," I mumbled to myself as the door swung closed again, childishly sticking my tongue out at it. I wanted to go back to his desk and snoop against my better judgment, but the threat behind his words made me stay put in my chair. I had been sitting there for well over five minutes and was starting to get agitated. Looking at the phone on his desk I said "Just picking it up to see if he is still on the phone won't do anything right? Besides he probably went to a secure line so no one could simply pick up and here him talking if it was _that_ private and important. So then what is the harm?"

I picked up the phone and pressed the button for line two. "What happened to them?" I heard Trent's voice say. _Okay, you got your answer. He is still talking, now PUT THE DAMN PHONE DOWN, _my mind screamed at me, but for some reason my arm couldn't seem to move even as my brain was trying to make it.

"The autopsy came back as *****Sudden Infant Death Syndrome*****," said an unfamiliar deep voice.

"_Crib Death_," Trent said, "that is impossible. The baby was perfectly healthy, wasn't it?" he said sounding not so sure.

"Yes, there were no abnormalities in the medulla oblongata. No reasons for there to be either. The birth was not premature, the weight was healthy, none of the family members smoked, since the last one died we even kept an eye on the sleeping habits, and they were normal."

"Keep me updated on this," he ordered. When I heard I heard the phone click I let out the breath I had not realized I'd been holding. "Morgan, get off the phone." Trent said surprising me.

I put the phone down and sat back just as I heard his footsteps outside the door. "I _thought _I told you not to touch anything," he growled as he entered.

"I just picked it up to see if you were still on it!" I don't know why his anger scared me, but it did.

His faced smoothed out and he took on a calm façade.

"Well, what you heard on the phone is part of the reason I had you come here. How much did you hear, exactly?"

"Um…I heard that some babies died of SIDS, even though they seemed perfectly healthy. That's about it." I said cautiously.

"Good, good."

"So if that is why they died—them being elf babies right?" At his nod I continued, "Then why do you need me? I'm no doctor."

"Rachel, I do not believe these babies are dying naturally. The pregnancies were perfectly healthy. They all have been ever since you helped me get that sample."

"How many?"

"So far there have been five healthy conceptions. Two babies—the only ones born yet, have died. The next baby due is Ceri's." At this bit of information my eyes got big. I didn't know what I would do if Ceri's baby died.

"So you see the importance. I think that the babies are being somehow poisoned while in the womb. I need you to find out who is doing it and how."

"Isn't there someone better than me for this job? I'm not the best detective."

"I could pick a thousand people," he said, "but you know my secret, and a professional would impassionate about this, but you also know Ceri so this baby is close to you. Plus I don't expect you to do it on your own. I will pay triple the amount for Tamwood and your pixy help. So what do you say?" I think the words were meant to sound cold and disconnected, but I could see the pain in his eyes. Quen and Ceri were both important to him.

Ceri had a way of wrapping anyone aroud her delicte fingers and she had clearly done it to him. Maybe even to the point that he was starting to look past the smut on her aura.

I felt like I was going to cry at the possibility of Ceri's baby dying. The cold bastard, he knew how close I was to her, that's why he chose me. Who would be killing these babies? Well of course the possiblities were endless. Many people didn't want the elf population to bounce back. If it was a vampire would Ivy's protection be enough to save me from what ever I could wind up getting myself into this time. Still with alll the things that could happen, "Yes," was my only reply.

**The next chapter might take a bit longer to be put up. I am hitting some writing blocks, SORRY! Please review. Good or Bad it helps me write!**

***** **Goto The American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute's website ****for info on SIDS aka Crib Death**.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, I don't own the characters or the books that inspired this story, those belong to the most wonderful Kim Harrison!**

**I just wanna color outside the lines/I've been reprimanded about a thousand times /I'm a, rule breaker /You know that I'm a, rule breaker **

**-Ashlee Simpson "Rule Breaker"**

As I walked into the church I could hear pixie children squealing.

"Ms. Morgan is home," I heard one of them yell in a head splitting voice.

"Hey Rache, how did your meeting with Kalamack go. I hope you told that moss wipe to shove whatever job he wanted you to do up his ass," Jenks asked.

"Well…" I trailed off.

"Rachel you didn't!" he said to me. Then under his breath I heard him mutter "Stupid ass witch."

"Jenks, he looked awful. He was so stressed too. It's not just for him this time."

"Oh my god!" His tone was accusing. "He is Rachel candy! He is powerful, but right now vulnerable. I cannot believe you are doing this!"

"Jenks it's for Ceri's baby!" I shouted. _Why the _hell _I didn't just start with that in the first place, I don't know,_ I thought to myself. _Oh yeah because I am a total idiot!_

He lost so steam at that one. Then his tiny features pinched in worry, "You don't have to go back into the Ever-After, do you?"

"No Jenks, I would never," and I knew it was true. After the last time I went there I wound up getting captured. The only way I got out was from a very stupid ass group of witches, who though it was cool to play with demons. Not that I am a demon, even though my children would be.

"Well good!" With that he flew back into the desk grumbling something about me making rent on time.

I walked into my kitchen and sat my purse on the table. Ivy looked up from her monitor and upon catching my bad mood said, "What did Trent want?"

"What does Trent always want? He has a job for me."

"You're not going to do it are you?" She had a worried look on her face now.

"Well I was kinda hoping you would help me. He said he would pay triple for you and Jenk's help," I said looking up at her from under a curtain of my unruly hair.

"What job?" Her voice was tight and I could tell she didn't like the idea of me working for Trent.

I told her about the conversation I heard on the phone and what Trent said to me. I told her how stressed he looked too, knowing she would know how unusual that was.

"So we have to basically guard Ceri and make sure nothing happens to her?" When she said we her body relaxed a little bit. I think the idea that she would be working on this with me made her feel better.

"Right," I said.

"How do we know that something has not already happened," Ivy asked tensing back up.

"I don't know. Ivy, this sounds kind of strange but do you think you would be able to _smell _if anything has happened to her. I mean you can pick up if anything is wrong, right?" By this time my mind was reeling. What if Ceri's baby's life had already been sabotaged. _No_, I could not think about that. This baby will live! It has to.

"I don't know. I really depend on what exactly is happening to the babies," she told me with uncertainty. "Okay, maybe we should focus on _who_ could do this instead of _what_ is happening. Find one and you can find the other soon enough." _I hope. _Neither of us said it but I was sure we were both thinking it. I quickly quashed the thought that we would not be able to save the baby.

"Okay so who had access to all the mothers?" She said, pulling up her Documents program to keep a list of all the suspects and key points.

"Well Trent's doctors. They would have had a lot of opportunities to kill the babies, and the know how to make it seem accidental." I said to her, "but Trent only employs people he absolutely trusts. It would be hard to break that trust, especially when he has an iron clad grip on them. He controls them by using secrets, black mail, even their families.

"Come on Rachel, you and I both know that with some people, if the price is right they will do almost anything. That's the main reason Kalamack has so many trusted Employees. Kalamack's tactics of bribing and black mailing people may just be coming back on him."

"Karma is a bitch," I said agreeing with her.

"What about Dr. Anders?" she asked carefully looking at emotions play across my face. She could probably smell the anger and disgust I felt at the name.

"She is a hag and I hate her. She is capable of so many things but I don't think murder is one of them."

"She works for Trent," Ivy said, "she clearly isn't that innocent."

Dr. Anders had been my teacher twice, once when she flunked me because I refused to get a familiar and another when she was the suspect of a string of murders. All the witches had been skilled ley line witches, whom at one point or another had been taught by her. Eventually she had faked her death as to get off of the killers hit list, with Trent's help. After words she came to work for him.

"I still don't think she did it. Even when Quen was dying she was trying to convince herself it wasn't her fault. Why would she kill the baby if she was clearly felling guilty of making the thing that almost killed the father?"

"Well who would have a grudge against Trent?" She said

At that I snorted, "Who doesn't? Well I think the quest ion here would be more like, who would want to stop any hope of the elves rebuilding their population?"

"Tons of people. The weres of course, vampires too." Ivy said. Though she knew what vampires were capable of she still did not like it. I knew she hated being what she was, even when it made her who she was. She hated the blood lust, and everything that went along with it the most. Ivy dropped her eyes. Vampires and weres constantly fought over power. They considered every other species to be the completion and if the Elves bounced back, they would be one more competitor, one more problem.

"Let's finish this later," I said uneasily.

"Okay," Ivy agreed, "I going to go have dinner at Rynn's so that means you're stuck on your own for food." She said walking out of the kitchen.

"Bye," I called over my shoulder as the door shut, snorting at her last comment. I usually made dinner anyways, so it was no big deal tonight. I must admit Rynn Cormel, the undead vampire who was Ivy and a heap of other vampires--living and dead's-- master, made me uneasy. Who could blame me after Ivy almost entered the world of the undead, and I almost entered the ranks of the completely dead due to Piscary, her last vampire master. I went to the living room and spread out on the couch, turning on the Adrenaline Chanel. I laid there and tough about who could be doing this and how until my mind got caught up in what I was watching, sending all thoughts of the run and who I might wind up bringing in from my head.

**Please Review! It helps me write better and faster. Whether it is good or bad I don't care. I just want your honest opinion. Thanks!**** I know this chapter is kind of slow but you got to have point A for point B to follow right? Well my point A is slow but necessary for point B which will not be slow!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I love it–the characters and books that inspired this story–but sadly I don't own them. They all belong to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

I was running through some place unfamiliar, surrounded by trees. What I was running from, I am not sure. I looked down at myself to see that my shirt and pants were tattered, and bruises showed on my abdomen. Then as my legs kept moving as fast as they could go, I heard a stream bubbling somewhere nearby. Running into a beautiful garden, one I recognized as Trent's I looked around quickly for help.

That is when I seen him standing there by a fountain, looking like a god in a nicely fitted suit. To my own surprise he opened his arms to me, and I ran into his loving embrace without a second thought, my body fitting nicely in his arms and my nose filling with the scent of green leaves. He ran his hand through my hair, soothing me, and murmuring that it would be okay. I looked up at him and seen that he was now staring over my shoulder, his emerald green eyes had gotten huge with fear.

Then in the woods behind me I heard footsteps, and faster than I could turn around my body was ripped out of Trent's arms, a gruff laugh filling my ears while I cried out from the pain that had filled my body. It felt like my heart was going to explode into a thousand pieces, like my lungs were on fire, and like my limbs were collapsing into themselves.

As the arms that had taken me away from Trent let go I fell to my knees, and folded my arms over my chest where the pain was the worst.

"Rachel," I heard a deep voice in my ear, "Rachel, wake up." I thought I recognized the voice but couldn't put my finger on who it was. I lashed out at the person just as the pain vanished. Whoever it was grunted as my fist met the face of the person standing over me.

"Dammit Rachel," I heard someone curse, "I think you gave me a black eye."

"Glenn?" I said as I got up from the couch, "What are you doing here?" I looked at him in the glow from the tv straining to see as my eyes adjusted.

"I was here to ask you something. When I heard you scream I came in here to see what was the matter. You know you really should start locking that door," he said holding his hand over his eye. When he seen me looking at him he removed his hand.

"And you really shouldn't try to wake me up like that," I said smiling at him as I helped him to his feet.

"Well I was scared you were gonna wind up hurting yourself, you were thrashing around so much."

"I'm sorry, are you okay," I said looking at his eye were it was already swelling.

"I'm okay, I just didn't think you would hit me," he said puffing his chest out. I rolled my eyes at his attempt to regain some of his pride.

"Do you want me to make you a complexion amulet or a pain amulet?" I was already walking into the brightly lite kitchen.

"Both sound good," he said following me. I went to the cabinet that held my charms and pulled out a pain amulet and a complexion amulet. Then pulling out one of my blood sticks I pricked my finger. Messaging three drops onto the wood I asked, "so what did you need to ask me."

"Well I really came here to ask Ivy. It's a missing persons case," he said shrugging.

"Are you sure you just don't want to keep me off a crime scene. Ivy would tell me anyways."

"Not this time, but now that you mention it I may use that excuse in the future. It really wouldn't kill you to get some crime scene etiquette classes you know," he said yawning.

"Wait," I turned to look at the clock. It said that it was three in the morning, so the pixies were still asleep, and he should be, too, "what are doing still up?"

"Well sorry _mom_, I was trying to get a hold of Ivy." He sat down in my chair with a sigh.

"I will have her call you," I handed him the amulets. He sighed in relief when the amulets slipped over his head and he tucked them behind his shirt.

"Thanks Rachel," he said, walking out the kitchen and to the front door.

"Bye," I called as I heard the front door close. I walked into the living room and turned off the TV. I sat there thinking about the dream and what it was trying to tell me. Then remembering the pain that I felt I pulled up my shirt and looked at my stomach. It had a couple of bruises on it. I thought that those must have been from thrashing around like Glenn said. _Why did it hurt though? Dreams were not suppose to hurt. And why would I dream about Trent like that? Shouldn't he be the one chasing me if he was going to be in my dreams at all?_

That among a million questions were running through my head when I heard the bell that we used as a doorbell ring. I ran to the front door, cursing myself for not putting a peep hole in yet.

"Hello Ms. Morgan," Trent said.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I asked him. _What is it with everyone staying up past their bedtimes today?_

"Well I have some information that might assist you in your job. Tamwood called me asking for it," He said holding up a manila envelope. "Might I come in?"

"Sure," I said recovering myself from the surprise that he was at my door.

**Hey sorry if it wasn't that upbeat–yet.** ***Smiles evilly* I might have to change this story to a M instead of an T later on. Please review. More chapters maybe posted very soon, I have the next week and a half off so I have alot of extra time to write.**


	5. To Anyone who wants to read it!

Hey Everyone,

I Just wanted to say thank you for all of the reviews and constructive criticism. It really helps a lot, and I tried to revise a bit of the story in hopes of making it better on some of the things that were pointed out. I love that you all are taking the time to read my story and help me out, and I am sure this goes for most people that love writing, so thanks and I will try to return the favor.

On one comment, and I hope this doesn't sound mean or anything like that because that is not at all how I mean it but the reason I imagined Jenks asking Rachel whether she had to go back into the ever-after for Trent is because, even though she is Al's student, there are probably some—rather foolish in my opinion—demons who do not fear Al. With those demons the inevitable would be trying to capture Rachel for a familiar, and though I am sure Newt would stop them, she is also a forgetful psycho demon so there is a possibility that Rachel could get captured and or hurt severely before Al could intervene. Al would not help her because whatever she would do to try to save Ceri's baby would increase the elf population count and as we all know the demons hate the elves and vis versa. The other foolish non-Al-fearing demons would not know of Newts exchange with Rachel because they were not there to witness it. So, I just wanted to clear that up! Hope it helps explain my thoughts in putting that little bit into my story.

Sorry if I got any of you who have been questioning about when I will be updating my story excited. I will add the next chapter very soon. I am just putting the final touches on it. Right now things have been kind of hectic and some days I swear I'm A.D.D. the way I jump from project to project. Last week I was looking up fencing classes and wanting to learn to play the drums because of a tv show and playing around on Rock Band 2 or whichever one I was playing. Come to think of it I am pretty sure it was guitar hero. Oh well, I have been going on and on so I will say thanks one more time and be done with it.

Sincerely,

Pixieluv13


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